Fallen Angel Mission 4: Operation Awakening (Bonus)
Fallen Angel mission 4 is a bonus mission included with the campaign and is not part of the linear storyline. The events depicted in the bonus mission occur approximately six months after the Overmind invaded Aiur and three days prior to the Zerg attack on Dionysus (12/14/2500). The mission does however involve the Keepers so it is a logical addition to the Fallen Angel campaign. Mission 4 is accessible only if a player completes Fallen Angel: Mission 3 in under 45:00 minutes. The mission begins with a briefing from Keeper Command (absent Giovanni) in which the player is instructed to covertly land on Aiur amidst the Zerg occupation and secure a target zone intact. Keeper Command does not specify the nature of the target zone during the briefing but it is assumed that the Keepers themselves are aware of mission specifics. The target is later revealed to be The Oracle's tomb. Defend the Entrance of the Forbidden Temple The mission begins with the player assuming the role of a protoss executor and is addressed by the war hero Mallock (now revealed to be one of '6' protoss guardians who are responsible to guard the Oracle's crystal prison). As the Zerg on Aiur move toward the Forbidden Temple, Mallock pleads with the executor to stop them. Mallock states that if the executor perishes, all protoss perish. This is likely an allusion to what will occur if the Oracle gains control of the Zerg swarms. The Forbidden Temple outer area (where the player has access to buildings and units) has three entrances. The entrances are assailed only by Zerg ground forces and initially, they attack in very small groups. It is not until much later in the map that the bulk of the Zerg forces arrive to assault the temple. The player should focus on producing high templars (research psionic storm ability), reavers, and photon cannons as the primary defenses. All three entrances should be guarded equally as Zerg attack all three with equal fervor. It is important the player consistently check reavers for scarab counts as those will deplete fast during the course of the mission. The player will also find a nexus situated far from the crystals in the temple. The player should build a nexus closer to the crystals as soon as possible. The other nexus is situated near an almost depleted vespene geyser which makes it useful in the beginning of the mission. The Forbidden Temple entrance is guarded by both Mallock and Phobos (presumably one of the '6' guardians as well) and the player can not move his/her forces into the temple. If attempted, the troops will be moved back into the main area with a warning message. To enter the Forbidden Temple is heresy for all but the guardians. If any Zerg reach the Forbidden Temple, the mission is failed. Keepers in the Protoss Sewer System If the player repels a few waves of Zerg, the mission will cut to a squad of three Keepers (Jasmine, Thanatos, and Tank) who are underground in the protoss sewer system. They are provided mission objectives by Keepers squad leader who is in orbit. The player now assumes the role of the Keepers as they move toward the target area (the Forbidden Temple). Due to interference from electromagnetic disruptions caused by leaking pylons in the ruined protoss cities, the Keepers' cloaks are shorted out. As the Keepers move through the sewers, they are confronted by burrowed Zerg. There are lot of burrowed Zerg (and roaming Zerg) which can easily overwhelm the Keepers before they can kill them all. The player should, in these encounters, cycle Keepers backward. One of the three Keepers will get the most aggression from the Zerg. The player should move this Keeper behind the other two. The Zerg will pause for a second before changing targets to one of the other two. When they have a new target, move that Keeper behind the other two and repeat. This allows two Keepers to be firing at all times while the third takes minimal damage. This strategy will get the player through the most difficult parts of the sewer (the Ultralisks) which come from behind. The sewer system has several doors which can only be accessed by Khaydarin crystals. The first crystal is in the open area of the sewers (the player should seek out a purple crystal). The second is in possession of protoss survivors the player rescues. The third and fourth are in possession of the Zerg bosses. Asteroth Asteroth is a non-trigger driven lurker boss. While additional Zerg do spawn during the encounter, Asteroth itself will attack the Keepers (and any protoss with them) conventionally. The first priority should be for the player to put down Asteroth's defenders. Once they're dispatched, the Keepers need to move out of range of Asteroth's attack. This will cause Asteroth to surface in order to get closer. The Keepers need to hit it at this point. If the player is lucky, Asteroth will get caught in a cycle where it can not burrow due to sustained Keeper fire. Otherwise, the player should repeat the strategy listed above. Once Asteroth is slain, the player will get a door crystal and a healing crystal. Move the Keepers next to each to regain full health and also gain access to the next area of the sewers. Tarrasque The next boss encountered is more dangerous. After some trigger effects depicting an earthquake (along with sound effects), Tarrasque will roar and appear shortly thereafter. Tarrasque has a lot of hit points and deals a lot of damage. The first thing a player should do is throw any protoss remaining in the unit at Tarrasque to buy time for the Keepers to shoot. It is likely the Keepers will not bring it more than 75% down in hit points before the protoss are slain. The player can try one of two strategies. The first is to move each Keeper back when Tarrasque targets them. This causes Tarrasque to pause for a second before selecting a different Keeper. Repeat this strategy so that two Keepers are always firing and one is constantly being moved out of harm's way. Tarrasque deals a lot of damage so health meters for the Keepers should be watched closely. Healing crystals are scattered throughout Tarrasque's lair which will bring the player back to full health. Using the above strategy near a healing crystal is the most likely to succeed. The player can also use Tarrasque's tunnels (marked by white flags) to move through the lair. This strategy involves the player finding a tunnel with a white flag and waiting. When Tarrasque appears, fire a few shots then move to the flag to get away before Tarrasque is in melee range. This strategy takes longer and can be disorienting to the player due to the screen moving so much. Once Tarrasque is dead, the player will be given the final access crystal allowing the Keepers to exit the sewers. The Keepers Meet Legion the Dragoon Outside of the sewers the player will encounter Legion the Dragoon and protoss warriors fighting more Zerg. The Keepers can assist in killing the Zerg after which Legion will ask why there are terrans (humans) in the area and if the Keepers are part of Jim Raynor's Aiur relief detachment. Keeper Jasmine does not miss a beat and answers affirmatively. Legion does not question the truth in the statement and invites the Keepers back with him to the Forbidden temple. Once at the temple, Thanatos cloaks and moves into the heart of the temple covertly. When Legion realizes that there are two Keepers whereas previously there were three, or at least he thought there were three, he asks Jasmine what happened. Jasmine indicates there were never three Keepers and Legion (not the brightest crayon in the box) chalks it up to his own inability to properly observe his surroundings. Several heavy Zerg attacks will follow in which the same strategies as the first phase of the mission apply. High templars with psionic storms, photon cannon barricades, and reavers are the best defense. The Oracle Talks to Thanatos After holding off a final full scale Zerg assault, a cutscene will ensue with a black screen and voiceovers. The Oracle communicates with Thanatos telepathically and rendered him unconscious to do so. The Oracle tries to convince Thanatos (who he refers to as Josef) that he must anger the Zerg and compel them to attack the Confederation. To do this, the Keepers need to destroy the cerebrate Slohr which is coordinating some of the attacks on the Forbidden Temple. The Zerg of that brood will swarm and follow the Keepers at that point after which the Keepers need to lead the Zerg to a Confederation colony (Dionysus as chosen by Keeper Command). The Oracle also states that the Zerg MUST be allowed to breach the Forbidden Temple such that he may meet with Zuhl, the cerebrate overseeing most of the Zerg occupation of Aiur. The Keepers are charged to sabotage the protoss defenses the player spent so long building earlier in the mission in order to ensure the Zerg break through. While the Oracle's exact reasons for doing this are not made clear, he attempts to assuage Thanatos into complying by promising him what he promises all other life forms in his service...power. Keepers Sabotage the Protoss and Raid the Cerebrate Slohr's base After ensuring the Zerg breach the temple's defenses (by destroying all protoss structures and units with the Keepers during the next Zerg attack), the Keepers are to move to the Zerg base. Illuminatus (the Keeper squad leader) was lost when the Zerg blew up his ship in orbit, leaving Thanatos in charge. Tank and Jasmine follow his lead without issue. Slohr's base is due west of the Forbidden Temple. As long as the Keepers remain cloaked and destroy all detector structures, the player will have little issue with cleaning out the area. After the cerebrate is dispatched, the mission is victorious and the player is given backstory. Conclusion and Backstory It is made clear that the Zerg attack on Dionysus was no accident. The Keeper ship which originally landed there (at the start of Fallen Angel Mission 1) was in fact occupied by Jasmine, Thanatos, and Tank and was luring the Zerg to that colony. Rasputin was a Keeper already present on Dionysus with instructions to observe and record the attack. Zuhl, a proclaimed servant of Kerrigan, indicated to his master that the tome of Rak'hal (LotC: Episode 1 Mission 7) was incorrect. There was no 'Oracle' inside the temple and that it was all a protoss lie. In fact, it is made clear that Zuhl lied to Kerrigan as the Oracle had convinced Zuhl to assist it in its mission. (The conversation between the Oracle and Zuhl is not shown but this can be assumed). The protoss guardians did not appear to interfere with the Zerg swarm; the reason for this is not made clear but it can be assumed that they could not stop the entire swarm as Mallock said in the beginning of the mission. Keeper Command knew of the Oracle's existence long before the mission and dubbed it "Operation: Awakening" as they were awakening the Oracle from its millenia of slumber with the promise of freedom, or so they thought. From a storyline perspective, Operation Awakening set many events into motion within the LotC universe. Earth declared war on all Zerg, Zuhl's loyalties shifted away from Kerrigan, and the Keeper organization fractured (Giovanni on one side and the other two tribunal members on the other, also working with the Oracle).